And the Winner is…
And the Winner is…
By Dennis Huebshman
To the world today, a winner is someone who has health, wealth and is extremely popular. This person will invoke envy from others because of how successful or well-known in the proper circles they are. Sometimes, they are known as the “beautiful people” because they are riding on “top of the world”, and their status is listed in all the “who’s who” columns. (emphasis mine)
When our Savior was on this earth as a man, the religious leaders of the day – Pharisees and Sadducees – would have fit the above profile. Everything they did was to show just how “religious” they were, and for all the people to take notice of them. They would give long pious prayers in public, and would go above and beyond in showing just how much they would tithe to the temple. They expected to receive many accolades for just about everything they said or did.
Jesus had most of His problems with these religious leaders, and they should’ve been the ones to see Him as possibly being the Messiah. They made up their own versions of what the scrolls contained and meant. Most of the time, they interpreted them as they felt they should have been, not as they were actually intended
Only a couple of the named members of the Temple came to believe Jesus was the Messiah; Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Both became “secret disciples” of Jesus (John 19:38) for fear of the other Jewish leaders. They went to Pilate when Jesus died, and requested His body so He could receive a proper burial. (John 19:42).
It’s not any wonder that our Savior was rejected, because the belief was that the Messiah would arrive with all the pomp and circumstance of a conquering hero. When He would arrive, they just knew that each and every one of them would be given high praise for all their service, and be rewarded for being so “religious”. They should’ve realized it would not be this visit from the Lord, but the Second Coming that would be full of glory and might.
They should have been familiar with the prophet Isaiah, and his prophecy about the coming Messiah. Chapter 53:2-12 tells that He would have “no form or majesty”, “no beauty that we should desire Him”. He would be despised and rejected by men. Jesus constantly gave them “woe-be’s” about their ignorance of prophecy. They just couldn’t believe this “plain” person could possibly be their King.
They didn’t realize that through His crucifixion, He fulfilled Isaiah 53:5, “But He was wounded for our transgressions; crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His stripes we are healed.”
These “teachers” should have been able to calculate the prophecy of Daniel 9 as to the time the Messiah would arrive; and also Zechariah 9:9 told of Him riding up to the gates of Jerusalem on a donkey. This took place at the “Triumphal Entry”. Even after He rose from the dead, they tried to cover it all up with a lie that His body had been stolen by His disciples. Their mantra was deny, deny, deny.
As you can see, what we are witnessing today is just a continuation of this denial. Satan and his crew have been working steadily to turn people away from believing in Jesus by offering them “earthly” desires. Many people today are falling for this.
In 1 John 2:15-16, we are warned, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him/her. (16) For all that is in the world; the desires of the flesh, and the desires of the eyes, and pride in possessions; is not from the Father, but is of this world.”
John goes on to describe the false prophets and antichrists that were present, even in the first century. He said it would continue all the way to the final antichrist that will rise up for the 7-year Tribulation. All who deny the “Son” (Jesus) also denies the Father (Lord God Jehovah). This is a continuation of the message in John 14:6, “Jesus said, I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father except by me.”
So to answer who the “winner” is, against “popular opinion”, it’s not the beautiful people that are ingrained with this world. This is one of those cases where someone could gain the whole world and all it has to offer- wealth; power; many possessions; be a world leader- but at the end of this brief life span, lose their soul (Matthew 16:26) for all eternity.
They are not looking at the “eternal” picture. They believe the false prophets who say we don’t need Jesus to go to Heaven. All religions worship the same god (small ‘g’). There is no hell. God wouldn’t send anyone to hell forever if there is one. Does any of this sound familiar? There are even “churches of satan” that are opening around the country. Talk about a misnomer! They actually “worship” the prince of darkness – the prince of this world, satan. They are preparing the way for the arrival of the ultimate antichrist, and believe they will be given positions of authority when that takes place. All lifestyles are actually accepted by the Father, and are not an abomination as given in the Bible.
It’s not as if Jesus is surprised by this. As He said, there would be “few” that would find and accept the narrow path. (Matthew 7:13-14) We have the promise of the Father that All who call on the name of the Lord, will be saved.” (Joel 2:32; Acts 2:21 and Romans 10:13) This has nothing to do with our popularity, or lack of, with this world.
The winners are all those who will accept Jesus; believe He died for our sins; will forgive us when He is asked by us (1 John 1:8-10); have faith that He was raised from the dead to conquer sin and death for us once and for all; and will return soon to take His Church (All Believers) Home to be with Him forever. He will come at a time for us to avoid the Wrath that is coming. For all who believe the word of the Father is fiction or fantasy, they will be the losers.
Jesus was never impressed with what this earth had to offer. He created it, and knows it’s only temporary. All the winners will be in “first place”. Rewards will be different, but the ultimate outcome is a home with Him forever that He is preparing for us. (John 14:1-3)
There is no “entry fee” other than our belief, faith and acceptance that He is our one and only Savior. Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe; sin had left a crimson stain; He made it white as snow.
Winner or loser – Heaven or Hell – ours to completely choose. No third option is available. Finally, Jesus could call His Church at any moment now. Don’t miss the “glorious trip” that He has planned for us.
Maranatha – Shalom!